Man accused of crashing into LA sheriff's recruits goes to trial after pulling out of plea deal
A man who pleaded guilty after injuring more than two dozen Los Angeles County sheriff's recruits during a wrong-way crash in Whittier in 2022 has backed out of the plea deal and will now face a trial.
Last month, Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez, 25, of Diamond Bar, pleaded guilty to one felony count of vehicular manslaughter with gross negligence and nine felony counts of reckless driving causing injury. One of the recruits died months later from injuries he suffered from the crash.
Today in court, Gutierrez withdrew from the plea deal when the judge indicated she planned to send him to jail for a year as part of his sentence. As part of the plea deal, he was expected to receive five years' probation and a suspended eight-year prison term that he would only face if he violated any of the terms of his probation.
Gutierrez's attorneys said he was suffering from a neurological disorder and could not accept the judge's condition of adding a 365-day jail term to his sentence, and withdrew from the plea deal.
The violent crash took place on Nov. 16, 2022, while 76 members of the LASD Academy Class 464 were on a training run along Mills Avenue near Telegraph Road in the early morning.
Gutierrez, who was driving in the opposite direction, crossed into the northbound lanes and struck several members of the group.
Gutierrez was initially arrested at the scene when deputies claimed that the crash was intentional. He was later released due to a lack of evidence, but arrested again in November 2023 by California Highway Patrol officers.
During their investigation, detectives found no evidence to suggest that the crash was intentional and determined Gutierrez likely fell asleep at the wheel.
The crash left 25 recruits injured, 10 of whom suffered serious injuries. Alejandro Martinez-Inzunza, 27, died eight months after the crash in July 2023 due to his injuries.
In March 2023, members from Class 464 graduated from the academy.
Gutierrez is due back in court Aug. 26 for a pretrial hearing.